Send In The Clowns
by Sadieclay
Summary: Dave's fear of clowns comes to a frightening peak. Violent scenes, and swearing
1. SITC 1: THE BEGINNING

clown1.html   
"Wow! A clown... Do you think he's evil?..." "He smells evil.." 

Dave shuddered and turned off the TV. For weird little cartoon characters, they spoke so eloquently. 

Sighing, he walked through the living room, shaking from his clown encounter. 

"Dave... Shouldn't you get ready for work?" 

"Huh? Yeah.. I.. I guess so.." Dave smiled at Cindy and gave her a long kiss, slipping his tongue down her throat and making her   
moan softly. "I'll be back around 2am.. Wait up for me if you must." Dave said pitifully, still upset. 

Cindy laughed, wrinkling her nose. "Daaaaave... What's wrong?" 

He shook his head and rubbed his hair. "No.. Nothing.." Dave said grinning nervously from ear to ear. 

"Dave.. You're not still weird about the whole clown thing are you?! I mean.. I though we talked that through. I thought you were   
okay with it?!" 

Dave backed out of her arms and shook frantically, stumbling backwards into the kitchen counter. It bit painfully into his back and   
numbed his legs but he couldn't budge. "You don't understand, Cindy.. You can't understand.. You won't.. The clowns are coming..   
They'll get us all.." 

Cindy tossed her head of long thick blonde hair and laughed. "Oh Davey.. You're being so silly.."   
  

Suddenly the apartment building began to vibrate and a sickening ripping noise pierced the otherwise quiet noise in the Chicago   
suburb. 

Dave's eyes widened and he cowered in the corner as the ceiling was ripped away to reveal clear blue sky and a looming, sneering   
clown. 

"Davey.. I've come for you Davey.. Come now.. Time to feed Bozo the clown.. You know the time would come.. Come now   
Davey.." 

The large gloved hand reached into the small apartment and plucked Dave up by the back of his shirt. "Davey.. Stop shaking like   
that.. You'll make Bozo sick with all that moving in his tummy. You wouldn't like to make Bozo sick now would you?? That would   
make Bozo very angry. You know what happens when Bozo gets angry don't you David?!" 

Bozo roared at Dave, spittle and remnants of candy corn and fairy floss covering Dave like a thick pink carnival coating. 

Dave spun wildly in the clown's grip, and turned a pale ashen green. "Oh.. Oh-g.. Oh god.." He lurched forward and puked on   
Cindy's pink carpeting. 

Cindy screamed. "Oh Davey! I just got that cleaned!!" 

Dave closed his eyes and moaned, wincing as he felt himself being tossed downward and into a hot, wet, and dark hell.  He felt   
himself groping in the darkness, when he stumbled forward and hit his head on something. "Dammit!" Dave cursed before everything   
went black. Why did clowns have to eat grand pianos too! Of all the bloody things to hit his head on.. 

*** 

"Dave? Dave?? Hello? Dave.. Come on.. That's it.." The voices murmured to him.   
*** 

Dave waved his hands wildly and batted away the clowns as they surrounded him. "No.. Go away.. How.. How did you get in here?!"   
He yelled at the creepy looking clowns, drenched in saliva and bits of food. They smiled at him eerily and brushed the stuff off his   
scrubs. Their eyes watery and blood shot, bulging grotesquely from limp eye sockets. They licked dry cracked lips with blue-ish pale   
tongues and their mouths stretched, widening into evil grins, showing sharp pointed yellowing teeth surrounded by large red clown   
mouths. 

"We live here Dave.. This is a very nice place.. A place you will grow to love. We all love it here.. LOVE it here.. LOVE Dave.. Learn   
to Love.." and the clowns surrounded him and devoured his presence as he screamed. 

** 

"Put in 10 mg of Haldol by IV.. No NOT you Luka.. Give me that.."   
"Whoa.. Here comes that arm again.. Put him in soft restraints.." 

** 

"No...." Dave moaned pitifully as the clowns bit and scratched him, clawed at his scrubs and ripped at his flesh. A particularly vicious   
one had fastened itself around Dave's ankle and was chewing it's way into the bone. Dave screamed and beat the beast over the head   
with the piano stool. Maybe it was okay after all that the clown had swallowed a piano. 

**   
Dave's leg connected squarely with somebody's jaw as they put in another iv line. 

"Get four point restraints in here... Fuck.. This isn't working.. Go get Weaver.. We have to get her to sign off on more Haldol.."   
Muttered Carter, rubbing his face. 

** 

The clown had screamed, blood streaming from a wound in it's head, a greenish red, un-natural and quite alien by all respects. He had   
hissed at Dave, baring it's fangs, scurrying away into the nether-reaches of the dark moist caverns with his harlequin friends.  Dave   
struggled to sit up, to move but found it too painful.. The blood ebbing from his wounds was great and he felt sluggish and tired, all   
Dave wanted to do was sleep. "No!" Screamed Dave.. "I can't give up.. I can't I have to get out. I have to get up. I have to get away   
from these.. Clowns.." 

Dave struggled against his leaden limbs and screamed a soundless anguished howl as the clowns once again advanced on him. 

"Don't move Davey.. You'll just make it hurt more.. You don't want that.." Purred a taller, pale clown with a long face and a nose like   
a ripe squash. He pulled a gloved finger across Dave's chest, leave a trail of the man's own blood. Dave's eyes widened and he   
groaned as the clown pulled himself inside Dave. 

"No... Don't like clowns... Like women.. G-get... G-et off me.." Weeped Dave as the clown forced himself inside. 

The clown laughed, a familiar laugh.. A distant memory. The clown hissed at him, biting the back of Dave's neck and making the   
doctor moan in pain. 

With a sharp slicing scratch of his forefinger, splitting him open, his insides heaving outward and steaming in the darkness. Intestines   
spilling from the open wound like a large pink snake, limp and pulsating slightly. His own heart could be seen now, throbbing against   
his ribcage, as if it were trying to escape. Dave screamed in agony, tears spilling down his cheeks and he bit his lip, closing his eyes   
and became rigid against the pain. It was too much. He couldn't do this anymore.. These fucking clowns. 

Hadn't he told Cindy they were coming?! Hadn't he told- Dave's eyes opened and widened in fear. Where was she? What had they   
done with her!? 

Dave screamed again and that's when the clowns went for his throat.   



	2. SITC 2

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Two   
*****   


"Give him Enflurane by mask... and 10 CCs of Thiopental by IV.. Dammit if this doesn't work.." Kerry brushed the hair from Dave's eyes as he trembled on the gurney and tried to curl into a ball in his sedated state. "Come on Dave.. You can get through this.." She murmured softly. "Don't let the demons get you.." 

**** 

Dave lay on the pulsating moist ground of Bozo's stomach lining, naked and covered in a thick film of clown saliva. He was panting softly, his heart banging against his ribcage like a prisoner trying to escape, rattling it's tin cup against the bars. Dave had glanced down at his organs still throbbing with life, and nearly puked. He noticed the clowns sitting in the corners staring at him longingly, licking their parched lips and grinning, pulling their mouths into grotesque shapes, their tongues lolling out of their mouths like rabid, panting dogs. 

As he found himself bleeding to death in a clown's stomach and realizing the irony of it all, Dave suddenly had a song stuck in his head. He groaned at the inappropriate time that songs always seemed to get stuck in his head and sighed, heavily as his wounded vocal chords would allow. The song stuck itself firmly in Dave's head in played on a continous loop and he mouthed the words softly as the clowns gathered round for a second attempt. 

"Hit me clown because I'm not from your town now, hit me clown. Clown you ain't shit, turn around watch your face bleed. Clown you ain't shit, turn around get your face split. Hell you ain't shit, turn around watch your face bleed. Hell you ain't shit, turn around get your face split." 

The clowns backed away slightly, their eyes rolling in their sockets, and tendrils of drool dripping from their yawning putrid smelling mouths. "We don't like Korn, Davey.." They said in monotonous unison. "Stop singing.. Stop singing Davey.." 

"Leave me alone you Insane Clown Posse wannabes!" gurgled Dave throatily, as his body became slick with sweat. "Where did you put Cindy.. What did you do to h-" 

*** 

"His stats are elevated and his pulse-ox is dropping, Kerry.. Should we intubate?" 

Kerry ran a sweaty palm through her hair and shook her head. "No.. Not yet Luka.. Let's see if he comes out of this.. If he wakes up on a vent.. It may make things worse.. We don't want things any worse than they already are."   


*** 

"Cindy..." Dave croaked weakly, turning his head and seeing the clowns circling again like lions. He began to sing again. This time louder with more conviction. "I don't run around, trying to be what's not within me. Look into my eyes, I am real. You're just a wanna-be." He smiled for the first time since becoming Bozo's breakfast. 

"That's right you losers!!! You aren't the real shit.. You're imitation clown.. You're nothing but pathetic useless fakes!! You're nothing!" 

The roaring of angry clowns filled his ears and he closed his eyes and tried to block them out. "NOTHING! YOU DON'T EXIST! GO AWAY!" 

*** 

Dave's muscles were taught and strained against the ties that held him to the bed. He moaned softly. "Go..." 

Kerry looked at Luka.. "Go get Cindy.. Get her in here.." 

Luka glanced back at Dave who had soaked his gown with sweat and fear. "Certainly Kerry.. I'll be right back. You sure you want her in here?" 

She glared at him. "Are you questioning my judgment Kovac?" 

He shook his head quickly. "No.. No.. Not at all.. I'm going. I'll be back." Luka exited quickly, the trauma doors swinging closed. 

** 

"CINDY!!!!!!!!!!" Dave screamed at the top of his lungs as the clowns pounced again, ripping at his vital organs and slowly plucking them painfully from his body. A rather large, rotund clown munched on Dave's liver, blood running down his chin and pooling at his large red clown shoes. 

Dave watched in horror as the clowns ripped through him like a human smorgasbord. Clown after clown picked through him eating his gallbladder and kidneys.. Slurping up his intestine like a single strand of spaghetti.. 

He tried to scream as a clown bore down on his neck and silenced him, till Dave could only communicate in voiceless, airy barks and throaty whistles. 

The young doctor was slick with blood, sweat and bile and Dave realized suddenly with some sick thought that while these clowns were eating him, Bozo was digesting them all.   
  
  



	3. SITC 3

ERik Fic Send In The Clowns 3   
******* 

"Okay.. Dammit.. I can't wait for Cindy, Haleh hand me that scope.. Hold him still.." 

"Dr.Weaver..." 

"Not now, Lydia..." Kerry muttered deep in thought and concentration as she   
angled the scope. "I've got a clear airway.. I'm putting the scope in.." 

"Dr. Weaver.. He's waking up." 

****** 

Dave groaned softly and stared at his forearm, readily reminded of steak tartar or shredded beef jerky. Staring at his eviscerated torso like a sickly live version of the surgery channel. Except these were his own organs laying about in pieces with large clown teeth marks in them, and there wasn't the polite blue tinted dots over everything to hide the blood. No.. This was real. This was real, and despite the fact that Dave was missing 90% of his vital organs, and had lost enough blood to keep the donor clinics in   
the black for months, Dave got up on shaky feet and made his way down the twisting spongey, slick tunnels, his legs screaming in pain with every step, the broken bones grating and grinding together. 

He stumbled forward and fell to his knees, with a stifled moan. Cindy or no Cindy, Dave wasn't gonna be doing that anytime soon. Reverting into commando crawl, Dave continued down on his belly, leaving a bloody trail, moving towards a seemingly un-natural light. 

*** 

"Dave!?" Kerry swung the light around and blinded the doctor, while checking his vitals. 

"Dave? Can you hear me? You're at County.. You were in an accident.." She said calmly, as Haleh copied down the pulse-ox and heart monitor readings. 

"I..." Dave started hoarsely, but was cut off by a coughing fit. "Clowns.." He moaned softly. 

Kerry cocked a brow and pulled Lydia aside. "Uhh.. Find Kovac and Cindy.. Please.. I want to send Dave upstairs for another CT." 

"Clowns, Dave?? What about clowns?" 

"Ev-il..." He muttered softly, struggling to sit up. "Cut me.." Dave moved his hand slightly, brushing it against his chest, certain that it would come back stained and dripping a scarlet red hue. But it was clean.. He glanced down at himself. Also clean, not a scratch on him.. The gown was striped and a pristine starched flannel, that didn't exactly seem to cover everything. 

Kerry quickly tugged at Dave's gown to hide the ugly swollen gash in his side. He was agitated enough at the moment without seeing that. The fact that Dave didn't feel it, only worried her slightly, she had given him a local anesthetic on the wound, but it should have been wearing off by now. 

"Dave.. Who cut you??" Chuny asked helpfully, which only elicited a seething glare from the ER chief. 

"Clowns.. All.. All those clowns.." Dave murmured.. "At me.. On me.. I.. In.. Me.. Clown eat me.." 

Their eyes widened and the nurses looked away, busying themselves with other things. "You can go now girls, Dave's stable. I think we can take him up to the OR from here." Kerry muttered, thoroughly irritated at the gaggle of   
nurses, who filed quickly from the trauma room.   



	4. SITC 4

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Four   
****** 

"Dave... We're going to take you upstairs now.. You've got some possible internal injuries to your spleen and liver and we want to get it checked out. Everything will be fine though Dave.." Kerry looked at the monitors and nodded to Eddie from Transport, who finally had decided to show up. 

"Nice to see you found time to join us Edward.." She growled under her breath and helped him push Dave to the elevators. 

"Chief..." Dave muttered quietly, pulling at his nasal canula. "Chief.. Hey...."   
  

Kerry smiled softly and reinserted the canula and checked the chest-tube again. "It's okay Dave... Everything is going to be okay.. Don't worry.. Relax a little.. You know you're in the care of the best surgeons in Chicago." 

He swallowed and nodded slightly, "Uh huh... I..." Kerry shook her head. "Quiet Dave..." Dave yawned and closed his eyes. 

The doors hushed open to reveal the surgical floor and Benton waiting. "This is the abdomen? Weaver.. Are you pulling my leg?? It's not April first anymore. I have ACTUAL cases backing up on the board.." 

Weaver glared at him and helped push the gurney to the OR. "It's Malucci.. He was found concussed and bleeding to death outside the fairgrounds.. He's a surgical case Peter.. Elizabeth stitched him up a bit downstairs, but he's got some internal bleeding we could only fix momentarily. Be careful with him Benton.. He's one of our own.." 

Benton rolled his eyes, Malucci? One of their own? That man was as irritating as a dingleberry. "Of course.." He muttered irritably letting the doors swing closed. "This is as close as you come, Weaver.. This is my turf." 

Kerry Weaver's eyes narrowed to slits and she contemplated cold-cocking Benton upside his head with her cane. Her knuckles whitened around the grip and she turned sharply to the elevator. She had to make a statement to the police. It wasn't every day a colleague was brought in almost dead and clinging to life, screaming about clowns. 

** 

"Dave.. Are you allergic to anything??" Babcock sighed and flipped through Dr.Malucci's chart. Dave shook his head slowly. 

"No.. Not allergic.." Mumbled Dave.. His stomach was starting to ache, Dave pulled at his gown and the anesthesiologist moved his hand away. 

"Stop it David.. Listen to me." 

"Have any history of subendocardial ischaemia or liver disease??" Droned Babcock, ticking off his checklist. 

"No... No liver d-disease.. Or Heart disease.. I'm fine.." Muttered Dave irritably. Why wasn't he allowed to look under his gown? It wasn't like he hadn't stared in the mirror at himself before.. It wasn't anything he wasn't fairly familiar with. He just wanted to see why in the hell his gut ached so much. 

"Well then. I think we can proceed. The anethesia I was planning to use seems to be okay. Have any problems with Isoflurane??" 

Dave sighed. "No.. I.. I just want to go home.. I want to get away from the clowns.." 

Babcock's eyebrows went up and he glanced into the sinks where Benton was scrubbing in. "Well Dave.. We have to tinker around a bit first.. Then you can go home.." 

The anethesiologist fiddled with some knobs on the canisters and connected the various leads.. "It's a solution of 2% of Isoflurane with a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. The Isoflurane will be reduced to .5% after surgery. See you when you wake up David.." 

He placed a mask over Dave's face and Dave closed his eyes and started to breathe in. It smelled of new plastic and burnt sugar and he started to fell heavy and leaden. 

When he opened his eyes, Cindy was staring down at him. 

*** 

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave" Cindy's disembodied head bobbed eerily over top of him, her long flowing blonde hair, matted and tangled with her blood and grasped firmly in a gloved hand. Dave screamed hoarsely. Everything ached again.. His legs.. His head.. His stomach.. He glanced down and gasped. That's what they hadn't wanted him to see in the trauma room. What about his legs?? Dave had heard them snap when the clowns bit through them like match sticks. Would Benton get a little too overboard and amputate his legs off at the knees? 

He didn't want to think about it. He winced and watched Cindy's dead eyes, glassy and dull, her face was still tearstained and her mouth frozen in an expression of horror, pain and fear. Blood trickled from the open wounds on her face and Dave looked away in revulsion. "Get that away from me.." said Dave tremulously, vomit rising in his mangled throat.   
  



	5. SITC 5

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Five

"His pressure's dropping." Droned the Surgical resident as Benton finished repairing the damage to the colon. "Get out Peter.." Barked Romano, "Clamp off, and scrub out.. You're no use to me..." 

Benton looked up startled at the Chief of Surgery. "What?! No.. I'm okay.." He quickly shook off the fuzz of sleep and busied himself, suturing up the liver. 

"Get out Peter.. I'll call Edson in here.. Hell.. I'll even get Carter in here.. You're in no shape to be operating. Go home to your Peanut Butter cup.." 

"It's Reese.." Growled Benton, tying off the last suture and clanging the instruments back onto the tray. 

"Aha.. Reese's Pieces.. I forgot.. Get some sleep. See you tomorrow Peter, bright and early. We have a press conference and I need my head of Minority Affairs. I think four AM would suffice.. The conference is at eight. We need time to prepare." Romano sneered at him, curling his lip. "Don't forget." 

Benton grumbled under his breath and slammed out of the operating room, throwing his gown in the bin and past Elizabeth who walked in, as Shirley helped her into a gown and put on some gloves. "Peter.. Where are you going?" She shouted after him. 

"Home.. I'm going home. Bye Elizabeth.." Peter stormed from the room, leaving her staring after his fleeting form. 

Elizabeth cocked a brow and sighed, walking to the table. "Robert? What did you say to him?" 

"Nothing. I didn't say a thing Lizzie.. He was tired.. He was risking my patient. I told him to go home and get some sleep. That's all.. Start the spleenectomy... We're going to be here awhile it seems." Romano muttered. "Hang another two units of type specific, Dorrie, please.." 

Elizabeth sighed and blew a stray hair that had escaped from her cap. "Okay.. What happened to Malucci anyway?? You paged me.. This looks like a job for another surgeon.. Should we page Anspaugh too?? Have you assessed the damage of the kidney yet?? Looks like the poor man was sliced up like a Christmas ham.." Elizabeth surveyed the multiple wounds to Malucci's chest and abdomen.. They hadn't even started on putting the plates and pins in Dave's leg. This was going to take forever.. 

"Oh Lizzie, aren't you FULL of questions today!! They found the poor bastard passed out and bleeding to death outside the fairgrounds on the pier. Only an idiot would be hanging around that part of town at that time of night. I think we're both quite capable of doing this ourselves.. Rossdale.. Get over here and assist Dr.Corday.." 

Romano shook his head, and with a sharp intake of breath he looked at the shattered leg and began meticulously removing the shards of bone and placing them in the tray. "Hand me the screws Shirley.. and immobilize this leg..." 

******** 

Dave had cried himself to sleep, Cindy's head nestled beside him, but he was too weak to do anything but breathe raggedly and will his heart to continue beating.   
    
  



	6. SITC 6

ERik Fic: Send In The Clown: Part Six   
"Stuck in the middle with you.. Clowns to the left of me.. Jokers to the right.. I'm stuck in the middle with you.." 

Dave opened up his eyes slowly, glued together with dried sleep and blood. His eyes widened sharply and he backed away in a strangled yelped gasp. Cindy was singing.. Her lips moved slowly, mouthing the words and her melodious voice carrying the notes and echoing them around the cavernous stomach. He didn't know whether to run, to cry or just go back to sleep. 

His girlfriend's decapitated head was singing Steeler's Wheel tunes.. And quite well for that matter.. When Cindy was alive she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. 

"Trying to make some sense of it all. But I can see it makes no sense at all Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor? Yeah, I don't think I can take any mo-Dave... That's it.. Hey.. He's waking up.." 

Dave's girlfriend's melodious voice was drastically changed into that of Shirley one of the surgical nurses in the OR.. Now.. Dave found Shirley very hot.. For an older woman anyway.. He was more after Lucy's meat.. At least he had been when he was waiting at the fairgrounds. 

There had been this strange message on his answering machine.. Lucy.. Sounding quite agitated and upset with the weird background noise of cackling laughter. She'd told him to meet her at the gates of the fair grounds and bring a bag of raw hamburger. 

At the time Dave had found it very odd indeed, but he wasn't one to ask questions, especially when it involved Lucy alone in the dark, Lucy who obviously had some weird raw hamburger fetish. 

Dave moaned softly and struggled to swallow, his throat was raw and sore from the extubation and he coughed painfully. 

"Dave?? Wake up Dave.. Come on.. That's it.." 

Somebody roughly wrenched one of his eyelids open and blinded him with a pen light. "I've got a five o'clock meeting.. Come on Malatanucci.. For christ sake!" 

**** 

He'd stopped off at the grocery store and picked up four pounds of hamburger and a PentHouse and a Playboy. The clerk cocked a brow at the doctor's purchases and Dave grinned at him as he slapped down a bottle of Wild Turkey and a box of condoms as a few last minute purchases. "Uh.. Man.. What in the hell do you have planned for tonight??" 

Dave laughed. "Quiet night at home.. How about you?" 

The clerk responded by snickering and rolling his eyes. "Man... You are Sick and twisted.." 

Dave picked up his bags and ran out of the store laughing his head off. "Sick and twisted.. Twisted and sick.. and proud of it. Oh man... If you only knew.." 

The pier was dark and a thick mist hung in the air like a wet soggy blanket. Dave pulled at the fabric of his tight cotton t-shirt,  which was already moist with sweat and humidity. 

He swung the bag of meat, porn, booze and condoms lazily in the dead thick heat and advanced on the darkened gates. 

Dave swallowed and reached into his bag and pulled out the bottle of whisky and twisted the cap off sharply and took a long swig. A sharp bang rang in Dave's ears and he stumbled forward as bright spots flashed before his eyes. The bottle slipped from his hands and smashed on the wet pavement. The shards of glass glittering in the moonlight like pieces of stars that had fallen from the sky. The thick viscous liquor pooled on the asphalt like blood, and Dave tried to run. 

He wheezed as he stumbled, trying to compose himself when the bang came again, this time against his legs. Dave screamed in pain and sunk to his knees as somebody started to beat him senseless. 

He laughed softly.. 'They wouldn't have to beat me much..' Thought Dave sadly. 'I was senseless coming out here!' He curled painfully into a ball as they attacked him with a large wooden bat. The bat came down firmly across his left leg and Dave yelped in pain as he heard it crack.  They laughed maniacally.. Crazily as they continued to hit his ribs methodically, hearing the ribs crack and vital organs damaged. 

Dave panted softly and lay still, till he was certain he was alone, he struggled to sit up. Blearily he attempted to look at his attackers as his blood pooled into his eyes. 

He crawled onto his feet and stood shakily on his broken leg, when his attacker emerged from the shadows with several of his friends and knives that shimmered in the moonlight. 

Dave sunk to his knees and tried to crawl away as the knives came at him. He used his porn magazines for protection, Heidi Klum's fine round bosom being shred like newspaper. Finally in a vain attempt to hit one his attackers, Dave tossed the raw hamburger weakly. 

There was the high pitched squealing and growling like dogs fighting over a bone, it was animalistic. Evil.. Dave wiped the blood from his eyes and saw several shadows fading only making themselves known to exist by the faint noise of their large red shoes, slapping on the   
wet pavement. 

As quick as they'd appeared, his muggers had vanished. "Clowns.." Dave murmured before he slipped into a dense fog of nothingness.   
  



	7. SITC 7

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Seven   
"R-romano??" Mumbled Dave feebly, opening up an eye and finding that everything ached like before but this time it was because of them fixing him. 'Being in pain was better than being dead', reasoned Dave to himself as he stifled a yawn and struggled to awaken. 

The sound of monitors became louder as Dave slowly slipped from his fog. Robert Romano stood there impatiently, staring at Dave's chart and making notations from the beeping machines. 

"You're awake Malucci... Good. I've got to go.. I was waiting for you to wake up.. You're in recovery right now.. They'll move you to the Post-Operative-Care-Unit soon. You will spend approximately one hour in the PACU. I've made sure Nora will be there for you.. Shirley will be around.. You'll be monitored continually for the oxygen level in your blood, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. Ask Babcock if you're in any pain and Nora or Shirley can give you something.. When I'm certain that you're okay and my ass is covered, then we'll move you to your own room." Romano scratched his signature on the chart and stuck it in the rack on the end of Dave's gurney. "You're a lucky bastard Malucci.. Any other surgeon had worked on you, and you'd be dog meat." 

Romano left the recovery room with a smirk on his face and tickets to the opera in his coat pocket. He had a date and no stupid resident was going to mess that up. 

***** 

Dave stared at the ceiling and counted the tiles as the nurses busied themselves with other patients that were slowly coming out of anethesia.. He felt like crap, but he wasn't going to announce it like most of the patients were that surrounded him. All moaning and screaming. 

His head suddenly felt very heavy and a leaden tingling went through-out his limbs before he lurched forward and puked on himself. The nurses still ignored him and he watched them all weakly, too tired to say anything. They passed his gurney continuously, not noticing the vomit soaking into his gown and blankets. Finally in frustration, Dave pulled at his pulse-ox cable and took it off his finger. 

The small monitor beside his gurney blipped and then sounded loudly and nurses finally rushed to his side, cussing him. "Dave... Don't take that off.. We need that-" The nurse sighed sweetly. 

"Ohh look Darlene.. Davey puked all over hisself.. Aww poor thing.." The nurses tended to him, changing his pillow case, and putting fresh blankets under him. 

Babcock came in shortly with a few nurses and they moved the gurney to Recovery. "Dave.. Try to get some sleep.. I'll be back shortly to see how you're doing.." 

Dave nodded, shifting in bed and trying to get comfortable despite the tubes draining his wounds and the IV feeding him meds and fluids. The chest tube that inflated his lung. It would be a very difficult sleep indeed. 

But sleep, Dave did.. The nurses monitored him regularly, his breathing slightly ragged but regular, Dave finally fell asleep.   



	8. SITC 8

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Eight Dave's clown friends were waiting for him. Circling him, drooling and gaunt. Low rumbled growling as they licked their lips and panted. 

"What have you done with Lucy??" Dave demanded, yelling at them. 

The clowns looked at him surprised and stopped in their tracks.   
"Loo-sey?? Who is Loosey??" They stared at him confused and dumbfounded. "We do not know of a Loosey.." 

"LUCY.. A friend of mine.. She.. She ph-phoned me.. I.. think.. I.. Told me to get hamburger... I got hamburger.. You.. You hurt me.. Cut me.. Ate me.. Hit me.." Dave said slowly, trying to string together a coherent sentence. 

"We did no such thing Davey.. We don't exist.. You are laying deep inside Bozo's stomach because you think you are.. Not because you actually exist here. We don't exist.. Cindy doesn't exist. You don't exist." 

Dave stared at the clown who had bent into the lotus position and was floating several inches off the floor of the stomach lining. "We are all non-entities, Davey.. Say it with me.. Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.." 

"Om?? Uhh.. I don't think so. I don't go in for that new-agey crap. So if I don't exist here.. What happened to me?" 

The clown had stretched out so he was laying flat, his arms folded under his head and he floated a little higher, bobbing in the air. "Beats the hell out of me Davey.. You're bleeding because we were hungry. But what happened to you outside of here.. I do not know. None of us do. Only you know that.. Only you know what truly happened." 

"But I don't.. I don't remember.. I.. I thought you did it.. I thought you would know why I hurt so much." 

The clown shook his head. "Nope.. Don't have a clue.. Here.. Give me that.." The clown reached down and plucked Dave's ear from his head and munched on it like a potato chip. 

"Ow! What did you do that for??" Dave glared at him and rubbed at his head, discovering that his ear was still there.. Curious, he looked down and saw his scrubs still covered in blood. "How?" 

"We didn't do that Dave.. Outside. They did that outside. You came to us like that.." The clown said plainly, now sitting up and treading the air like a bicycle. 

"But.. You.. I saw you.. All of you.. Eating me.. Hurting me.." Whimpered Dave, tearing up at the memory. 

"We did that because that's what you expected.. We only do what you expect Dave. We don't exist. Remember that." 

"But.. You.. You were eating my liver.." Dave said worriedly, fingering through his wounds, seeing if it was still there, and it was. 

"You thought I was.. It was a manifestation of the fear and pain you were experiencing in the real world. That.. and we were hungry.. Everything's still there, Dave." The clown grinned, blood dripping down his chin, still munching on the ear that didn't exist. "Except for your spleen.. I think they had to take that out.." 

"I.. I thought you didn't know.." Dave stammered worriedly. This clown was evil and obviously knew more than he was telling. 

"I don't.. I only know what you know. I know that something happened on that pier.. But until you remember, I don't know what happened exactly. I know that they took you up to surgery. I know that cute little redhead told you they were going to stitch some stuff up.. And that funny looking little man, took out your spleen, because that Babcock guy said something. But I only know what you know." 

Dave sighed, clowns were still evil.  "Why are you so creepy looking??" 

The clown sighed and floated to the ground. "Because you saw 'IT' too many times as a child.. What sort of parents rent that for a kid? Because some of us clowns are sick bastards and what ever that Bozo guy did to you in that circus tent, was pretty sick.. Because I partially agree.. We are not exactly normal looking. We freak people out. That's part of our charm. We're creepy and unusual. Sad but angry, Happy but evil. Some of us have acquired a taste for human flesh.. But that's not a clown trait.." 

The clown paced the floor in a circle, his red shoes flapping and squishing on the stomach floor. "Some of us clowns, our callings in life weren't immediate. Some of us have disturbing pasts, we can't shake. Take Binky over there for instance.. Remember that Jack The Ripper??" 

Dave nodded nervously. 

"Jack was a real person. He was a sick bastard indeed.. I'm sure you've seen the movie.." 

Dave nodded again, shrinking away from the clowns who had all started to mimic their leader and pace in unison. Back and forth.. back and forth. Dave was about to be sick. 

"After Jack cleaned up his act.. He became reformed and decided to make the world a happier place. But he's still a sick bastard.. He's the only one in the bunch that prefers a human leg over a cheeseburger.. Most of us clowns are reformed murderers and psychos.. Some taking a little career change, some reincarnated.. But you can't destroy the inner-self, David.. You're doctor correct?" 

Dave nodded again, wordless and speechless. 

"If you suddenly decided to become.. Oh.. let's say.. An icecream man..  Your whole personality wouldn't change? Would it? You'd still be Dave.. Just Dave in a stupid hat.. Instead of Baby Duck Malucci.." 

Dave scowled at the mention of the nickname. 

"Don't like Baby duck?? Why ever not?? I think it's cute.. Anyway.. As I was saying. You don't destroy who you are, just because you change your job." 

"My name is Dr.Dave.. Not Baby Duck.." Grumbled Dave. 

"Why do they call you Baby Duck?" The clown, replied grinning. He knew exactly why. He just wanted to hear Dave say it. 

"We..We were supposed to bring baby photos for the County newsletter.. I brought one in of me when I was little.. Playing in the spring thaw at my Grandfather's farm.. The whole field was little a giant mucky lake.. The picture.. Me, age one and a half, soggy Pampers and covered from head to toe in mud and snow, with a big grin on my face. Somebody mentioned how it looked just like a little duck playing in puddles and then some jerk started calling me Baby duck.." 

The clown smiled. "Of course.. I remember now.." 

Dave glared at him, pulling out a kidney and throwing it at the clown, bouncing it off his fat head. "And there's more where that came from. How do I get out of here.." He grumbled, raring to strangle the clown with his lower intestine. 

The clown grinned, eyeing the kidney and sinking his teeth into it. "Just.. Just wake up.. We'll be waiting for you Dave.. We'll be waiting." The clown slurped and munched and watched Dave vanish yet again. 


	9. SITC 9

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Nine "Dr.Weaver.. He's waking up." 

Dave struggled to yawn and stretch, his head fuzzy and heavy. He opened up his eyes blearily and saw Kerry standing over him. "Chief.." He said softly as the doctor slipped her hand in his. 

"Hi Dave.. How are you feeling?" Kerry Weaver, asked concerned. 

"Like I was mugged.." Dave said hoarsely. 

"Yes.. We have a policeman outside wanting to ask you a few questions, but I told him to bugger off till we got you settled into your own room. Is that okay?" 

"That's okay.. H-how's everyone downstairs??" Dave said quietly, trying to get off the topic of muggings and killer clowns. 

"They're fine Malucci.. All worried about you. I stuck Carter with your boils and sutures.. He seems quite upset." Weaver said, with a small comforting smile. 

"Oh I bet.. How's Lucy?" Dave asked worriedly. 

Kerry sighed and brushed the hair out of Dave's eyes. "Dave.. Honey.. Lucy's dead.. She has been for about a year now.." 

He stared at the blankets and watched his toes wiggling at the end of the bed. "Dead? The.. Stabbing??" 

Kerry nodded slowly, still running a comforting hand through his hair. "Yes.. Dave.. She died in the stabbing last year." 

She's dead.. Dead.. The message... On his answering machine.. How? Dave swallowed slowly trying to absorb the information. "Can you hand me the phone?" 

She sighed. "We don't have phones here in recovery Dave.. I'll make sure there's one in your room. Are you okay, Malucci??" 

He nodded slowly, all he wanted to do was check his messages. To see if he'd imagined the message on his answering machine. Lucy's voice reaching a frightened fevered pitch as noise started to drown her out and the phone went dead. The background noise had been a cross between a loud bar and a three-ring circus, breaking glass and horns and cackling laughter. 

If Lucy hadn't been on the phone.. Then who had been? 

Dave closed his eyes and Kerry stood up, adjusting the meds till his tremors from the pain subsided. "Sweet dreams, Dave.. I'll see you in your room.." Weaver left the room, brushing past Cindy in the doorway, who stood, staring at all the machines connected to her boyfriend. 

"It'll be okay Cindy.. He's out of danger now.." Weaver said gently. 

"It's... It's my fault.." Cindy whispered softly. "I..If I'd been home..." 

"They found him at the pier with hamburger.. Porn, condoms and there was a smashed bottle of whiskey on the ground. Was Dave planning anything special??" Weaver replied, cocking a brow. 

"My... My birthday.. I don't know, Dr.Weaver.. The girls took me out for a few pints.. He said he had to work a long shift..." 

Kerry sighed and handed Cindy a kleenex as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's okay honey.. It's not your fault. Maybe Dave was taking something as simple as a shortcut.. It's not your fault what happened. Dave's okay now, anyway. We're just monitoring his condition and making sure he's not allergic to the anethesthetic." 

Cindy pointed at the various tubes.. "What's that?" 

"Chest tube.. One of the stab wounds nicked his lung.. That's helping reinflate it.. Helping him breathe.." Replied Weaver quietly. She knew what everything did.. She knew why it was there. What she couldn't understand is why it was all hooked up to one of her best residents. Why HAD he been out there in the middle of the night with four pounds of hamburger, porn and booze? 

"What about that one??" Cindy pointed at one that peeked out from under Dave's gown. 

"It's draining his wounds.. Excess fluids.." Kerry swallowed and looked away briefly. It was easy to do this most times.. But this was Dave... He shouldn't be in that bed. 

"That one?" Cindy pointed to the various IV poles. 

"That is giving him medicine to help him sleep, that one there is antibiotics to fight infection, and that one is replenishing his lost blood supply." Finished Kerry, rubbing her eyes. 

"Oh.. Okay.. Can I go in??" Cindy started for the bed, and Weaver held her wrist. "Not now hon.. Let him sleep, we'll move him into his own room soon, then you can see him.. He's okay." 


	10. SITC 10

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Ten "Hey Dave.. What's up?" The clown stared at him and poked him with the toe of his big floppy shoe. 

"Remember anything more about the attack last night?" It smiled at Dave without moving it's lips. The large red painted smile stretching and moving and enveloping his face. 

Dave lay on the stomach floor, his chest heaving slightly, his arms and legs splayed. His face had a thick shadow of a beard starting and his eyes hurt from the sudden transition of bright, white hospital room to dark, dank clown stomach. "I.. Yeah.. I do.." 

"Who did it then? You remember?" The clown paced in a circle around Dave, and his friends followed, mimicking their leader's every shuffling step and movement. 

"Not you.. It wasn't you.. Any of you..." Dave sighed, closing his eyes again, his body aching and throbbing. 

"That's right Dave.. It wasn't us.. You know who it was though don't you??" 

***** 

Dave arrived at the fairgrounds, glanced at his watch, looking around nervously for Lucy. "Luce?? Hey?? You here?? What exactly do you want with all this meat? I mean I know it's rich in iron but-" 

Something hit him from behind, and he staggered forward. "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave.. Remember me Dave??" He rubbed the back of his head and turned to stare at his assailant. 

"LUCY?" His jaw dropped and he ducked as they swung the bat again. Her long blonde hair teased and bright pink. She smiled at him, her false grin plastered bright red across her pale, gaunt and dead face. The only thing recognizable as Lucy anymore was her bright blue eyes, full of fire and determination. Except this time Dave wasn't so sure he was thrilled about what Lucy was determined to do. 

Long talon-like fingers scratched a bloody trail down his shirt before she swung and clocked him again. Dave looked at her stunned. "Luce..." 

"I'm not Luce anymore.. I'm Sparkles.." An evil glint shone in her eyes as she swung the bat and connected with his leg. "And Sparkles is going to kill you." 

Lucy's friends circled Dave and their Queen, laughing and eyeing the bag of meat still clenched in his fist, before they pounced. 

*** 

"Lucy.." Dave panted, terrified of the memories surrounding his favourite little blonde. 

The clown grinned and jumped kicking his heels. Gaining his composure, he nodded solemnly. "Sorry.. I watch too many Lucky Charms commercials. But yes.. Lucy is Sparkles.. and Lucy tried to kill you.." 

"But.. She's dead... She was dead..." 

The clown sighed heavily, frustrated, considering thumping the man upside the head. "Dave. Listen to the scary clown.. Listen to me. Lucy is dead. Sparkles is alive." 

"But.." Dave scratched his head and stood as the clown walked to the grand piano he had hit his head on so many hours ago. 

He smiled at Dave, stretching his limber fingers and sat. The clown's fingers flew over the keys, fast and furious as he pounded out song after song. Everything from Flight of the Valkeries to Sand and Water. 

Dave sat cross legged as the clown played it out slowly to a crescendo. Singing sorrowfully the clown began to cry. 

"All alone, I didn't like the feeling. All alone, I sat and cried. All alone I had to find some meaning in the centre of the pain I felt inside. I will see you in the light of a thousand suns. I will hear you in the sound of the waves. I will know you when I come, as we all will come through the doors beyond the grave. All alone I came into this world, All alone I will someday die. Solid stone is just sand and water, baby-" The clown stopped. Pulling away from the piano, tearstained and angry. 

"You play now.. You play Dave.." He growled sorrowfully. 

Dave stared at the grief stricken clown. "Hey! I don't know how to play piano.. I don't know this song.." 

The clown glared at him. "PLAY!!!! You will know how.. You know more than you think. SIT!" 

Dave sat at the piano and marvelled as his fingers moved over the keys, his brain suddenly registering as he remembered the rest of the song. 

"Sand and water. A million years gone by.  I will see you in the light of a thousand suns. I will hear you in the sound of the waves. I will know you when I come, as we all will come through the doors beyond the grave. All alone I heal this sorrow, All alone I raise this child. Flesh and bone, he's just bursting towards tomorrow, and his laughter fills my world and wears your smile. I will see you in the light of a thousand suns. I will hear you in the sound of the waves. I will know you when I come, as we all will come through the doors beyond the grave." 

He looked over and saw Lucy sitting beside him looking very much like Lucy again, her long blonde hair flowing down her back. She smiled at him. "I knew you could do it butthead.." Lucy grinned. 

Dave scowled good naturedly. "Butt head? Lucy.. I always figured you for more inventive insults!" 

Lucy sighed and stared at Dave, her face shimmering and morphing, her hair lengthening and twisting, colour ran through her hair like light, moving and pulsating. Till Sparkles sat at the piano and Lucy was gone. 

"Inventive?? I'll show you inventive..." Sparkles growled. "I'm the one who paid you a little visit in your dream earlier.. Your apartment's really a dump." 

A familiar grocery bag appeared on the top of the piano, the parcel of meat open and the clown eating handfuls of it as she played the song one handed. "Nice of you to bring it to me Dave, like I asked, but I don't exactly comprehend the condoms and skin magazines. What am I supposed to do with those?" 

Dave smiled moving over beside the clown on the piano bench. "I don't know Luce.. I just bought them for myself actually.. I figured you just wanted hamburger.." 

Lucy smiled, watching Dave's hands slowly form gloves, and his trademark sneakers lengthen into large red floppy shoes. His hair grew out wirey and orange, and Dave ran his blue tongue across his pointed sharp teeth. "Dave?" 

Dave smiled at her staring down at his blue scrubs which had grown into about five sizes too large and were now covered with red and orange dots. "Yeah?" 

"Don't call me Lucy.. My name's Sparkles now... You're Doodles.." 

Doodles laughed maniacally till Sparkles cocked a brow and sighed. "What?" 

"You swallowed me whole? But we're inside you too??" Doodles asked confused. 

"Yeah.. Our world doesn't have to make sense.. It doesn't exist.. Remember? Why were you laughing?" 

"Well... Back last year.. I asked you something.. I forget what exactly.. But you said 'Eat me Malucci..'"  Doodles snickered. 

"What?" Bozo sighed and played chopsticks. 

"I didn't eat you.. You ate me!!!!"   



	11. SITC 11: THE END OF IT ALL

ERik Fic: Send In The Clowns: Part Eleven Sparkles swatted him lightly, laughing and speaking in Lucy's voice. "You're disgusting, Malucci.." 

Doodles laughed. "I thought I was Doodles now? What's with this Malucci business?" 

"It is.. Doodles Malucci.." 

"And you're Sparkles Knight? Sounds a bit bizarre to me.." 

"This is all quite bizarre Malucci, in case you haven't figured that out." 

"Dr.Doodles.. That is the supreme of bizarre..." Grumbled Doodles. 

"Oh cheer up.. You're a clown now." Quipped Sparkles. 

"I don't want to be a shitting clown! I want to be Dr.Dave. I want to be back at County.. I don't want to be here in your stomach but not in your stomach.." 

"You won't be for long. The transformation is complete. You're a clown now.. Through and through.. When you wake up.. You'll be Doodles.. It was your time to die Dave.. Your time to transcend.." 

Dave's face rippled under Doodle's makeup and the fascade ripped momentarily. "NO!!!!! I don't want to be a clown!!!!!! It's not my time. It may have been yours.. But not mine. Is this what I have to look forward to? When I die? What about Heaven? We all get reincarnated as clowns?" 

Sparkles' face and form returned to her human form and she shrugged. "Maybe it isn't your time. I never thought you'd react like this. About your question.. Yes and no. Yes there is a Heaven.. No we don't all get reincarnated as clowns. Have a nice life Dave.." 

Lucy sighed and twirled her hand about to pinch Dave and wake him up. 

"Wait!" Dave yelped. 

 Her hand stopped inches from the tanned flesh of Dave's shoulder. "What now?" Sparkles said exasperated. 

"What do I tell everyone? The police. About how I got hurt??" 

"Tell them..." Lucy sighed, hopped off the bench and paced the stomach. "Tell them.. The truth.." 

Dave's eyes goggled out of his head. "Are you nuts!? You want to get me committed???!!!" 

"No.. Tell them you were mugged. Tell them you took a short cut. Tell them the muggers had clown masks on and you didn't recognize them..." Lucy retorted and pinched him sharply on the arm, leaving a rather large painful welt. 

"Oh. OW!!!!!" Dave howled and sat up in bed, still surrounded by machines, but they had gotten increasingly fewer since being moved from PACU. Cindy sat asleep at his bedside, her head propped up by a spare pillow, as she leaned on the side table. Quickly, he patted himself all over, looking for clown shoes, big hair and bad clothes. Dave was back to his old self. He sighed in relief and sat back in bed as a nurse came over. "Dr.Dave? You okay??" 

"Uh huh.. Just fine.. Send in the officers now.. I think they want a statement or something.. Right?" Dave looked around and saw the cops at the door. Cindy murmured softly as she came to, and ruffled Dave's hair. 

"Yeah.. I'm here honey.. Got your story straight?" She mumbled sleepily. 

Dave nodded. "I think so. I had a friend straighten it out for me.. One thing though, Cin.. If you ever get the urge to roleplay in the bedroom.. I'll do anything but circus themes. I have an adversion to big red shoes."   
  

THE END. 


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